God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths

by Sankara Saranam

Book Overview

Since Sankara Saranam's groundbreaking book God Without Religion was released 10 years ago, thousands have been enlightened by his teachings and revelations. Now, in this special 10-year anniversary... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972445013
• ISBN13: 9780972445016
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Pranayama Institute
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

This is a must-read for anyone contemplating spirituality

Sankara Saranam writes with clarity and depth. His pursuit of truth by exploring all the "stories" that have been created to support different religions is inspiring. The chapters each have excercises to assist the reader in finding their own path to spirituality. A very good read, especially in these troubled times.

Wary of religious "Truth"

"God without Religion" is excellently written. It is for the searcher. It tells us that no religion has the absolute truth, and it advises to question religions that claim to have it. The author also tells us that we can find God everywhere by looking at his creation. We can feel God within us by recognizing, loving and enjoying the beauty of nature, but most of all by respecting it and trying to live in harmony with it. He also offers bold social criticism along with practical ways about how to get in touch with our inner self and calm our inner unrest. Sankara Saranam's book offers true spiritual guidance for all those of us whose spiritual needs have been left unfulfilled by organized religion.

Confronts the narrow religious identity

This is a terrific book that takes on all religions in their various disguises. Sankara Saranam gives tools that assist the reader to examine his or her narrow and exclusive religious identity. He then provides simple and effective lessons for building a more expansive sense of self. They say there's nothing new under the sun, but I've never read anything like this in my life, and I am an overeducated person whose hobby is reading. We can expect that everyone will find this book challenging to their individual spiritual path, but such challenges offer great opportunity for growth. (Full personal disclosure: I do not particularly identify with any religion or ism). We can also expect that many people, threatened by the book, will not want you to read it. There's a reason, after all, why the only negative attacks I've seen anywhere against this book (and there aren't many!) are from people -- some of whom had clearly not read more of it than its title -- that strongly identify with a religion (priests, seminary students, etc.) They don't disparage this book, becaue they can't. What they really disparage are the ideas it represents in their minds that threaten their narrow religious sense of self. Don't let anyone stop you from reading this incredible book. If you are ready to confront and expand your own personal sense of spiritual identity, I highly recommend God Without Religion.

A poignant must-read for the inquiring mind

I picked up this book, not necessarily seeking answers to any spiritual questions with which I might be grappling, but simply because its title immediately resonated with me. That resonation only intensified as I read each of the book's four chapters. It reminded me of a time when I was ten in Sunday school when fellow students ceaselessly chastised another classmate for questioning our teacher about how we could know with any kind of certainty that the accounts described in the Bible actually took place. I did not speak up in support of him for fear of facing the same fate, but I recall sympathizing with his honest inquiry. Because, as an adult, I have found myself not holding to the beliefs of any religion, and no one bothers me about that fact, that memory of my classmate's "inquisition" was buried for many years. However, the recent rise of religious fundamentalism in America and around the world has stirred that uncomfortable memory and many others from my childhood religious education. Saranam's book, with all of its admirably lofty goals, is must-reading for the inquiring mind, if for no other reason than to provide an extremely useful paradigm for understanding, dealing with and even thriving in the starkly polarized world in which we live.